What's Happening: Most teams are facing a mixture consisting of mostly their division plus teams from the other division in their conference. Game of the Night: Side note: Pls try and stream the games lol. Sunday Mar 18 - 10:00 PM Buffalo Sabres at Boston Bruins The Sabres, after a slow start to the season, seem to be on the rise after making a handful of trades to strengthen their team. A big week against Eastern Conference opponents could leave them tantalizingly close to the second wildcard spot. Monday Mar 19 - 9:00 PM Chicago Blackhawks at Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg has had the kind of start that was eerily similar to former Winnipeg teams, but have hit a rough patch as of late. Chicago on the other hand is 8-2 in their last 10 games and looking to close the small gap between them and first place in the Central. Two stellar teams, both seemingly locked into the playoffs already, will battle it out with one hoping to start another hot streak and one hoping to continue their own. Tuesday Mar 20 - 10:00 PM Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit Red Wings The Maple Leafs are the hottest team in the NHL right now and looking to continue to move up in the tight Atlantic Division. Tied at 46 points with the Leafs are the Red Wings who have gone 13-5 in their last two weeks and seem to have it all figured out. Do the Maple Leafs lengthen their winning streak and potentially leapfrog the Wings in the Atlantic or will Detroit be the buzzkill to the party in Toronto? Wednesday Mar 21 - 10:00 PM Philadelphia Flyers at New Jersey Devils The post-Yargage Flyers have seen two 13+ point weeks landing them at 2nd in the Metropolitan. Meanwhile, the Devils seem to be holding a precarious position atop the Metro with just 6 wins in their last two weeks. Despite this game being at the end of the week, it's possible that the winner moves into the top spot, though the Penguins and Rangers are hot on the heels of both these teams. Players to Watch: @P t P 10 is 13-0-0 for the Sharks and leading the league in plus-minus. The Pacific has seemingly strengthened with additions by the Ducks, Canucks, Coyotes, and Golden Knights. Furthermore, the Sharks have to play Winnipeg, Colorado, and Chicago this week making it a good test of San Jose's depth. The performance of this player could be a microcosm of the week for the Sharks. Speaking of the Pacific, @Gazzerk found his way to a new team in Anaheim and is looking to improve on his poor start to the season on the Blues. The Ducks seem to have been looking for a solid addition on defense for much of the season as they've allowed the most goals against in the Pacific Division. A good first week from Gazzerk would prove that he can return to form and that the Ducks are a real contender this season. @Milah and Ted is sporting an 84.5% save percentage and a 1.48 GAA. The Flyers have been on fire the last two weeks and the goalies have, at the very least, made an impact. However, @Krvstoffer is gone for a reasonably good backup in @x NoDnArB , but Milah will need to continue his string of solid performances if the Flyers want to be atop the Metro at the end of week 5. Teams Most Likely to Improve: Toronto Maple Leafs Let's be honest, they are rolling right now and have three teams directly ahead of them separated by just 2 points. I don't think anyone would be surprised if they came out of this week as the top dog in the Atlantic. Arizona Coyotes They made a handful of trades as well as promoting @Shockz to GM and are looking at 5 points to pass up 3 teams. If they get the right match-ups, they could very well be in a wildcard spot and have the Flames square in their sights going into week 6. New York Rangers The Rangers went through some personnel issues, but their team on paper still looks pretty great. They've underachieved a bit and let some games slip away from them; however, with the Capitals putting together a nice win streak and three teams barely ahead of them, the Rangers might just have the motivation (read: kick in the butt) they need to string together some wins. Who's Winning, STL or NYI? Both teams look like they still have some considerable pieces left, though STL has the edge. I think NYI is winning slightly on the multi-season contracts. Let's look at the draft picks: Islanders have their own 1st which is huge, but unfortunately have 3 late firsts as well. As most of us know, the late firsts have a tough time being worth their contracts in the NHL, but some solid scouting could prove to make use of these picks or they could be traded for 2nds. STL has EDM, MTL, and NSH picks, so those "could" all be top 10 picks, though none of those 3 teams have thrown in the towel yet. Their lone 2nd is CBJ which could be solid depending on Vatty's team's fate this year. But what does this all mean? I have heard from various sources that this summer draft is STACKED. Could these picks end up turning either franchise around? It's tough to say. So who's winning? Well, neither is, they're both last in their division. Note: If you find any spelling errors, be kind with that bad spelling rating
Teams Most Likely to Improve: STL Blues - They have 17 points through 4 weeks, averaging 4.25 points per week can this band of misfits find a way to get 5 points? Will Negi ever stop playing LG Ultimate Team? Find out on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z.
Haha, I meant improve their position in the standings if that makes sense? Can you make up 9 points on NSH/DAL? Anything is possible if you believe
